23 Dec Vanilla-Rum Eggnog Marshmallows

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve, folks! How’s the holiday baking going? Are you buried in a pile of gingerbread men and cut-out cookies? If so, #jealous.

TRUE or FALSE? There’s always room for one more Christmas treat.

If you answered TRUE, you win! Yep, I’m squeezing one last Christmas recipe today, just in the nick of time. Tell me you have room. You do, right?

Let’s chat coffee for a hot second.

I work in a place that has pretty mediocre brew. Once upon a time, when I first started two years ago, we brewed our coffee in a french press using fresh beans from a local roaster. For a coffee novice like myself (read: Keurig), this was a most delicious revelation, and quickly became my ideal route for my early morning pick-me-up. Since then, my company has grown to a size that’s far too large for sharing french presses of coffee, huddled together in a tiny office kitchen. It’s not a bad problem to have, in fact, it’s excellent…except for the new, mass-produced, drip-method coffee.

Of course, I still drink it. By the 16 oz. cup. I’m far too frugal (and hurried in the mornings) to stop into a local coffee shop 5 days a week, so I endure. To make my morning cuppa more palatable — nay, delicious — I’ve been indulging in a little guilty pleasure of mine: International Delights coffee creamer (most of the time vanilla, except in the fall, when it’s pumpkin spice alllll the way). I’m not especially proud of this dependency, but hey, it transforms crappy office coffee into cozy deliciousness, and it’s of the utmost importance that I get my caffeine in the AM. And I know you guys can relate to that.

So, when I stumbled across ID’s very own version of Nog this season, it came as no surprise that I was totally on board. Intended to be drunk all by itself (or generously spiked), I’ve actually been treating it as a coffee creamer, sneaking it into my morning cup for something a little extra indulgent because, holidays! Of course, my baker’s brain does wander, and before I knew it I was not only working Nog into my coffee and my bourbon, but also into my Christmas sweets.

Have you ever had a homemade marshmallow? Life changing. They’re fluffy and light, with an irresistible buoyancy, like little sugar-dusted clouds the bounce back when you bite into them. They’re nothing like the variety you buy at the grocery store. You know the ones. Packaged in plastic bags, all sad and deflated, only saved by a healthy roasting over a campfire and the addition of some chocolate + grahams. No, no. Those aren’t marshmallows.

These homemade Vanilla Eggnog Marshmallows, they’re the real deal. Made with ID Very Vanilla Nog and laced generously with ground nutmeg and rum extract, they’re the holidays wrapped up in one very fluffy little package.

I don’t personally drink my eggnog warm, but I Googled it and it’s a thing, so I’m suddenly quite tempted to try it, topped with one or two of these guys for the most meta of Christmas cocktails. If that’s not your speed, add them to your coffee or hot chocolate, or just eat them plain. In fact, eating them plain is the only way to fully enjoy the mind-blowingly fluffy texture, so don’t miss out!

And finally, this will be my last post before the New Year so I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for being here. For reading, commenting and pinning, but most of all for your time. I am endlessly appreciative of your support, and I hope that each and every one of you has a fantastic holiday season, surrounded by friends, family, loved ones, and of course, plenty of holiday treats! Until 2016!

Thanks to International Delight for sponsoring this post! Visit InternationalDelight.com to share how ID helps you capture the spirit of the season for a chance to win a holiday brunch for friends and family hosted by International Delight!

A Few Notes About This Recipe:

Make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go before you begin heating anything on the stove. This process can move quickly so you want to make sure the sugar solution has your full attention.

You must have a candy thermometer to make this recipe. You don’t need anything fancy — I picked mine up for a few dollars at my local grocery store.

I used International Delight Very Vanilla Nog in this recipe, but you can substitute any brand of eggnog you have on hand.

The egg whites called for in this recipe are optional but encouraged. I always use whipped egg whites in my marshmallows, as they are responsible for achieving the incredibly fluffy texture that I’m after. You can eliminate them and still achieve a fluffy marshmallow, the difference is small but noticeable.

Adapted from Naomi’s recipe for The Kitchn

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

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